Model Fun #5

When a bridge washes out during a terrible storm, a doctor must find an urgent way to get life-saving serum across a raging river to a waiting hospital. Windy recounts how a resourceful young man named Will attempts the seemingly impossible delivery using model airplanes of increasing power—first an arrow, then rubber-powered models, and finally a gas-powered plane equipped with a flashlight to guide rescuers in the darkness. It's a nail-biting race against time and nature where a tiny flying machine becomes humanity's only hope.

A test pilot named Paul learns how aircraft design has transformed from a dangerous guessing game—where untested planes risked human lives—into a safer science relying on scale models, wind tunnels, and radio-controlled prototypes. Through real examples like Sweden's "double delta" wing experiments and the Navy's R3Y-1 transport studies, the story showcases how these wingless test pilots gather crucial data before a full-size aircraft ever takes to the sky. It's a fascinating look at how modern engineering uses models to turn deadly trial-and-error into calculated precision.

Pancho Parrot races against time across Ecuador and into America to find his friend Pepito, a balsa wood borer whose tree has been felled and shipped away for processing. As the logs are cut into sheets at a U.S. mill, Pancho's desperate search reaches a thrilling climax at the saw blade itself. It's a heartfelt adventure that celebrates friendship and the journey of balsa wood from forest to factory.